By Kaveh-Cyrus Sanandaji
Middle East Center, St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford

By Geneive Abdo
Iran Analyst, The Century Foundation

In the final days before Iran’s June 12 presidential election, the leading contenders are using a mix of old and new campaign techniques, including social networking sites like Facebook, to win over a powerful but elusive constituency – the country’s university students.

The candidates certified by the Guardian Council for the 2009 Iranian presidential election are:

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The Malawi Election Support Network (MESN), a coalition of 75 civil society organizations, has issued a second interim statement on Malawi’s May 19 presidential and parliamentary elections. The goal of the organization is to help promote public confidence in the elections through its observation of the voting and counting processes.

Women in Burkina Faso have ascended in political prominence across local councils, both rural and urban, and now they’re working to increase their reach on the national level.

Over the past three years, Burkina Faso has seen tremendous growth in local government as a decentralization process created councils for small regions, called communes, across the country. Women, who were largely spectators in the past, now occupy 35 percent of those new seats.

By Masih Alinejad

NDI today condemned the decision by Burma’s military junta to imprison Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi and called for her immediate release.

“This action must not go unanswered by the international community,” said Madeleine K. Albright, chairman of NDI. “The leadership of Burma had an opportunity to show the world that it was ready to move in a different direction. Instead, Burma’s leaders have taken a tragic step backward.

Making contact with busy lawmakers and staff to advocate public policy changes can be a daunting task for civic groups. Protocols and procedures are sometimes complicated and the right point of entry may not be clear. In Nigeria, the National Assembly Civil Society Organization Liaison Office (CSOLO) has been working to help smooth that process.